A FLOCK of rare birds spotted in central Loughborough has sent twitchers into a flutter.

Eagle-eyed resident Mark Lewis managed to catch a flock of Waxwings on camera after spotting them on Freehold Street on Friday January 4 around 11am.

The bird breeds and largely lives in Scandinavia but according to the RSPCA less than 100 birds flock to the East Coast during the winter months to feast on berries.

Mr Lewis then was surprised to see the flock of around 50 birds this far inland.

They have a distinctive reddish-brown crest with a black throat.

“By all account we’ve had a big influx of them this year as they’re after the berries,” he told the Echo.

The Leicestershire and Rutland Orn Society (www.lros.org.uk) stated that there were 72 Waxwings spotted on Freehold Street, 50 plus were sited around Cobden Primary School the previous day and there were also sightings on Parklands Drive, Terry Yardley Way and Ling Road.